Nigerian Breweries Plc, has said it will appeal a recent ruling by an Edo High Court in the case of Prof. Ernest Izevbigie vs Nigerian Breweries Plc. The court had ordered Nigerian Breweries to apologise to one of its customers, Mr Izevbigie, who had brought a suit against the company for allegedly wrongfully inscribing “low sugar” on one of its brands, Amstel Malta.

The former Vice Chancellor at the Benson Idahosa University and Professor of Biochemistry had claimed through lab test results that the said malt drink contained far more sugar content than the company was willing to admit and thus was misleading to the public to have the inscription “low sugar”.

Speaking with the media on Thursday, Counsel to Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr Godfrey Airmen, said that the company would appeal the ruling. He faulted the judgment, saying that the inscription on Amstel Malta was not misleading, as ruled by the court.

“I am glad that the Court stated in the judgment that the sugar content of the product is within the range approved by the relevant regulatory agency, and that the information on the label was not deceitful.

“The inscription admits that the product contains a certain level of sugar. It does not imply that there is no sugar. Whether you choose low or lower sugar, it is a matter of semantics.

“My Client is socially and legally responsible, with credible and verifiable operational standards. It cannot mislead its consumers and the general public. So, my Client has decided to appeal against the judgment. This is the logical way forward,” the counsel said.